The unit guides are posted on the appropriate pages at the left (L1 Unit 2, for example).
What has changed?
The South Carolina World Language Standards from 2013 were revised to reflect the ACTFL Proficiency Standards. Our South Carolina Standards are written in the form of "I can" statements and use the same proficiency level descriptors as ACTFL: Novice Low, Mid, and High; Intermediate Low, Mid, High; Advanced Low, Mid, High. For more detailed information, check out:
High school and middle school used to have different units and curricula. Now both levels will be taught from the same units using the same content and skills. This should make language placement in high school more clear and facilitate a smoother transition between levels of middle school. Please read the Middle School page at the left for more information about middle school changes.
There is now a section in the guide that specifies expectations for students at different levels. It contains brief objectives for students at three different levels of proficiency:
--> Middle school beginning (may have reduced time due to scheduling)
--> Middle school continuing and mainstream high school
--> High school accelerated/advanced (those on track to enter the International Baccalaureate Program in 11th grade or AP, where available)
This section was added to prioritize what students should be able to do at the end of a unit in keeping with available instruction time. It is also designed to facilitate differentiation of instruction and assessment when there are students at different proficiency levels in one classroom.
The lexical themes (vocabulary) and support structures (grammar) are now explained in categories based on how students will use the content in the unit. The vocabulary should not simply be copied and pasted into a handout for students, but rather, it gives teachers a starting point in considering the vocabulary their students need to talk about/read about/write about each topic. Teachers are encouraged adapt vocabulary based on cultural considerations (relevant regional variations and expressions), key words from authentic materials used in class, and words that students might need to communicate their own ideas.
Some of the contexts for the previous units included references to doing a student exchange. The committee members agreed that this was not very authentic because most of our students don't travel internationally or have the opportunity to study abroad until college. For this reason, the new contexts are more flexible and relate to interactions with speakers of the target language in order to simply share information. This provides teachers with an opportunity to link concepts to 21st century skills and global citizenship, as well as using technology to connect to the world beyond our community. For more information, see these resources:
There were few changes made to the sections for Materials/Resources, Instructional Strategies, and Interim Assessments. This is where you come in! Please share your ideas as you are able.
To post to the unit page, click on the appropriate page link at the left, then after the page loads, click "Edit" in the upper right. You can now place your cursor under a category on the page and add your information. This is the best option if you want to include an image, media, or link to a resource. The last step is to preview the page and then hit "Save." That's all there is to it!
Level 1 curriculum (revised August 2014)
The unit guides are posted on the appropriate pages at the left (L1 Unit 2, for example).
What has changed?
ACTFL Guidelines and Manuals for Performance Descriptors, Proficiency Guidelines, & Can-Do statements
ACTFL World Readiness Standards Summary
There is now a section in the guide that specifies expectations for students at different levels. It contains brief objectives for students at three different levels of proficiency:
--> Middle school beginning (may have reduced time due to scheduling)
--> Middle school continuing and mainstream high school
--> High school accelerated/advanced (those on track to enter the International Baccalaureate Program in 11th grade or AP, where available)
This section was added to prioritize what students should be able to do at the end of a unit in keeping with available instruction time. It is also designed to facilitate differentiation of instruction and assessment when there are students at different proficiency levels in one classroom.
The lexical themes (vocabulary) and support structures (grammar) are now explained in categories based on how students will use the content in the unit. The vocabulary should not simply be copied and pasted into a handout for students, but rather, it gives teachers a starting point in considering the vocabulary their students need to talk about/read about/write about each topic. Teachers are encouraged adapt vocabulary based on cultural considerations (relevant regional variations and expressions), key words from authentic materials used in class, and words that students might need to communicate their own ideas.
Some of the contexts for the previous units included references to doing a student exchange. The committee members agreed that this was not very authentic because most of our students don't travel internationally or have the opportunity to study abroad until college. For this reason, the new contexts are more flexible and relate to interactions with speakers of the target language in order to simply share information. This provides teachers with an opportunity to link concepts to 21st century skills and global citizenship, as well as using technology to connect to the world beyond our community. For more information, see these resources:
World Languages and 21st Century Skills excerpt from PDF at Partnership for 21st Century SkillsACTFL World Languages & 21st Century Skills Introduction
Infographic for 21st century skills
There were few changes made to the sections for Materials/Resources, Instructional Strategies, and Interim Assessments. This is where you come in! Please share your ideas as you are able.
To post to the unit page, click on the appropriate page link at the left, then after the page loads, click "Edit" in the upper right. You can now place your cursor under a category on the page and add your information. This is the best option if you want to include an image, media, or link to a resource. The last step is to preview the page and then hit "Save." That's all there is to it!
General Resources for Level 1